L Everett Scott

Caught Detainment over the weekend...


This is a 30-minute short film that was Oscar nominated in 2019 for Live Action Short but also stirred up a lot of controversy in its native UK. The film tells you right from the start that it's a true story based on interviews and transcripts. What follows is a recreation of separate interview sessions with two ten-year-old boys suspected of murder.

I more or less chose to watch this at random, knowing nothing about its subject matter or even that it was Oscar-nominated. I was rather taken aback when I realized which case this short was based on.

I don't live in the UK, but I'm old enough to remember the murder of James Bulger. In 1993, two-year-old James was lured away at a shopping mall by two boys. The child was subsequently found in a railyard tortured and beaten to death.

I have a lot of conflicted feelings about this short film. On the one hand, director Vincent Lambe, who had only made a handful of short films prior to this one, did a terrific job. He builds suspense very effectively in two separate locations where each boy is interrogated. The kids initially insist they had nothing to do with the murder, but as they begin to change their stories, the tension increases dramatically. The film actually gets difficult to watch because one of the boys gets extremely distressed during the questioning, and child actor Ely Solan puts on an incredible performance that punches you in the gut over and over. In real life, the suspect he plays could very well have been trying to manipulate adults by going completely unhinged but knowing that doesn't lessen your discomfort.

While Detainment is a well-crafted piece of cinema, it continues the tradition of giving the spotlight to murderers. All you have to do is take a look at all the books, documentaries, and feature films about serial killers to see there's obvious demand for material based on true crimes. One of the main reasons for the obsession with killers, at least IMHO, is we want to know why. In the James Bulger case especially, it's impossible for us to understand how two ten-year-olds could come to torture and kill someone so young with whom they had no association.

Fans of true crime quite often argue that we need films like Detainment to explore heinous acts and perhaps shed some light on cases that are difficult for us to wrap our minds around. While Lambe's film has some awards-worthy work, it actually doesn't provide insight into what the boys were thinking or led them to kill. Part of it has to do with the film's premise, that it's based on police interviews from the case that were made public.

I don't know the details of the actual case that well, but I suspect that neither boy at any point said, 'I killed the kid because X-Y-Z.' That means Lambe wouldn't have a motive to present in his film, and to his credit, he didn't speculate, so no reason is given.

Another area where the premise of the short film is problematic is that recreating the police interviews means Lambe would only give voice to the killers. The actors portraying the boys put in some truly fine work, but they make real for the viewer the guilty parties and provide their perspectives. To be fair, little James, being only two at the time he was murdered, would be very difficult to characterize, especially since the director didn't want to prejudice his film by speaking to the parents of either the boys or of their victim.

So we're left with a story that focuses on the murderers.This is no different than most movies that recreate crimes of other infamous killers like John Wayne Gacy or Jeffrey Dahmer. Those movies have detractors who argue that killers are made into celebrities, which is disrespectful towards the friends, families, and memory of the victims.

As I said earlier, I have a lot of mixed feelings about this film and the subject of true crime dramatizations. I can appreciate that Lambe's short film is very well made and can understand why it received a nomination for an Oscar. At the same time, I do feel troubled by the spotlight given to murderers, especially ones who committed an unthinkable crime as was the case here.

That's why I've been avoiding mentioning the names of the boys in my comments. It's bad enough that I brought up Gacy and Dahmer, but at least they're dead. From what I've read, the two who killed James Bulger only served eight years before they were released and given anonymity (presumably for their own safety). Their names are easy enough to find, but I won't be promoting them.

I think Detainment is a very well-made dramatization with some great acting. I'm glad I saw it, but whether or not anyone else should seek it out is up to them.

JeffTheAlpaca

It was free on tubi free but interrupted by Pampers ads every 10 minutes but at least it was not censored or edited.

A 2014 film directed by Gia Coppola the niece of Sofia Coppola based on a James Franco short story.

Too bad it was not filmed in Palo Alto where I use to visit in the early 2000's to see my doctor.

It was not bad and Emma Roberts was great along with Nat Wolf

JeffTheAlpaca

It was not terrible if you look it outside of the original trilogy where nothing can compare to episodes 4-6.

Still felt like watching Return of the Jedi again with a few tweaks.

OldBoy

Alita: Battle Angel (3D)...kinda boring and generic. Didn’t get what the movie was about. One girl/cybernetic organism finding herself and becoming a roller derby champion? Seems like there should be more with Nova (who I think was Ed Norton, but uncredited for some reason) and thought I’d get that showdown, but I guess never gonna happen considering how poorly this did here, though I guess success with WW take. I guess the anime or manga series or whatever based on probably goes more into stuff. Like that war in first place. That looked interesting. This, not so much. Looked great in 3D though. Lots of depth. But the movie was so blah.

rogerrobert69

Yeah I feel (as a lot of people do) like they redid 4-5-6 instead of creating a brand new trilogy. They had all the possible stories in the universe and they chose to do pretty much reboots in disguise. Although they have their moments as entertainment they are disapointing as a follow up to the original trilogy.

Goonies85

The Right Stuff - I remember being kind of neutral on this one when I originally viewed it. Having read a lot more books on the subject (including Wolfe's source book) and having watched several documentaries on the space program, I've really grown to appreciate this a lot more. First off, the ensemble is simply one of the best ever assembled. Sam Shepard is soooooo perfect as Chuck Yeager. He just exudes charisma without even saying much. I've always liked him as an actor (recently, he was great in Out of the Furnace and Cold in July), and I intend to eventually purchase and read some of his plays. Fred Ward (a personal favorite) is terrific as the somewhat conflicted Gus Grissom, and Dennis Quaid is insanely entertaining as "Gordo". I think this was one of his early movies and I'm sure people at the time just knew he was destined to have a long and successful career. Ed Harris was charming as usual, and for once it wasn't really a role where he was yelling or screaming a lot of the time. He was very subdued in this. I loved the interaction between him and his wife. Was also impressed by Scott Glenn. I always thought he'd be a bigger star but he's had a pretty solid career, especially when he takes smaller character roles. I also couldn't believe how ripped he was in this. Harry Shearer and Goldblum also made a pretty hilarious pairing; I enjoyed their banter. And Lance Henriksen is always reliable. And whoever played Eisenhower (in a very small part) looked uncannily just like him...it was kind of surreal. The actresses were also superb...Some have argued they could've used more screen time but the movie was long enough as it were and I think the focus was ultimately on Yeager and the Mercury Astronauts...Just a really great movie.

Raging Bull - Great movie, albeit I'm not as high up on it as most others seem to be. The filmmaking is fantastic, and obviously reminiscent of black and white films from the '40s and '50s. The use of slo-mo is very good. The acting, of course, is simply incredible. The relationship between Pesci and De Niro is heartbreaking. Unlike a lot of critics, though, I have trouble when they label this the "best film of the '80s", as many have done. I think it's an incredible piece of work, but if we're talking best Scorsese movies, I'd still take Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Goodfellas...heck, maybe even After Hours over this one. That's not meant to knock it, I'm just being honest. Maybe it's just because it's a hard movie to watch and I find the other ones I listed a bit more..."enjoyable", I guess. Those movies I could watch once or twice a year (at least), whereas Raging Bull is a movie I'll probably watch every four or five years...

The Rock - Rewatched this just to take my mind off of things going on. Remains just as entertaining as it's always been. Don't really have much to say about this, as pretty everything has already been said. Love interaction between Cage and Connery. Ed Harris is great as the conflicted villain. The supporting cast is a who's who of action movie staples. One of the very few Michael Bay movies that I not only love, but feel was well-made and couldn't have been directed by anyone besides Bay.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Just finished watching the original again. Just a solid movie, and way, way better that every Turtles movie that has been made since (even though I still enjoy Parts II and III...and the animated TMNT is actually pretty good). One of my favorite things about the movie is just the grungy New York City setting. I've always had a soft spot for movies from this era that don't shy away from showing that side of New York City at that time (King of New York is also great in this respect...Ferrara does a great job of not shying away from New York's underbelly)...And having just seen it, that song that starts when the credits begin to roll is pretty solid...

Cellar Door

The Right Stuff is my all-time favorite movie, not just for great cast and the iconic story it depicts--I'm a big fan of the space program--but also for Philip Kaufman's directorial flair and the sardonic tone he takes with regard to the media coverage and the 'politics' of the program. And the score is amazing.

There was a limited series (10 episodes) television show a few years ago called The Astronaut Wives Club. It's nowhere near the same level artistically as The Right Stuff, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The cast was very good and while it focuses on the Mercury wives, it follows them into the Apollo era as well.

asianxcore

Inception (2010)

It was fun re-visiting this film after having not watched it in quite a while.

Absolutely thrilling and constantly engaging. I regret not seeing this film in theaters.

JeffTheAlpaca

I remember watching Inception again in 2012 on a rainy day the last movie I saw with my brother still living in the same house before he moved.

Goonies85

Crawl - Second time watching this. While I did like it slightly more than the first time I watched it, I still feel it's a pretty weak movie. Just way too many stupid decisions made by the various characters; those totally brought me out of the movie. And while I know they couldn't have shot it with real alligators, I thought that the CGI was pretty weak and unconvincing...I was also a little amazed at how weak these alligators apparently were. Apparently you can get bit multiple times by an alligator and basically walk away with a couple of scratches (okay, slight exaggeration, but most of the time when the alligators would attack, the main characters didn't sustain too much damage...at least most of the time). In terms of Aja movies, I'd take his remake of The Hills Have Eyes or High Tension over this any day...Hell, I'm not even sure if this movie is better than Aja's take on Piranha, which I never really cared for...

Goonies85

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - Probably third time watching this, and still feel it's the best of the "new" Star Wars movies. Like it way more than the new trilogy that was made, and didn't even manage to make it through Solo (I'll try and finish it one day, but I just really didn't find it that compelling). I'm still kind of surprised, because typically I don't like prequels, mainly because they feel redundant in many ways, as obviously you know where they are eventually going to go. And I'm also not a fan of Diego Luna. However, this movie genuinely surprised me with how awesome it was. I actually really liked the lead actress (her name escapes me at the moment), and I thought Donnie Yen and his partner were awesome. And I'm always a fan of Riz Ahmed and Mendolsohn...Also liked how they tied it in to A New Hope. I also appreciated how (like others have said), they essentially made it a "war film", which is unique in the series...Just a really good movie, and the only thing I wonder is exactly how much of it is Edwards's and how much is Gilroy's...I suppose we'll probably never know but it would be interesting...

milo bloom

The original ending had




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Last two nights we watched Captain America The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy.
These are all good films but I didn't grow up reading these comics so I don't have quite the attachment, but they're still a fun time.

asianxcore

Death-Scort Service Part 2: The Naked Dead (2017)

Low-Budget Slasher/Exploitation film from the folks over at The Sleaze Box.

Even with it's limitations, the film isn't nearly as engaging as the original film. There are some nasty death scenes in this one but they are far and few between, with copious amounts of nudity (as filler) to fill in the gap.

There were a few actresses I was looking forward to seeing in this film that sadly are just gloried cameos.

Goonies85

In that case, I think Gilroy made the right changes...I can't imagine the movie working otherwise...

JeffTheAlpaca

Maybe if you are a huge Kidman fan and want to see every movie she ever made but this was crap and worth skipping

Goonies85

3 Days of the Condor - Just a classic Pollack/Redford collaboration that never bores me. I've seen it countless times and remain just as impressed now as I was the first time I saw it. Aided by a terrific supporting cast including Cliff Robertson, Faye Dunaway, and Max von Sydow, it's suspenseful and thrilling and has some great character work done by Redford. While, in terms of "paranoid thrillers," I still prefer some others like The Parallax View and The Conversation, this one is right up there.

Kill List - Second viewing and still love it, and feel it's one of Wheatley's best (I'd say he hasn't really made anything I've been hugely disappointed in, but I was a little let down by High-Rise, although my thoughts might change after a second viewing...I did like the book it was based on so who knows?). I thought the script was phenomenal, the character work and acting was first-rate, and the direction was pitch-perfect, particularly all of the shots of the two main actors driving. And the bizarre, totally out of left field ending kicks ass in so many ways. Ben Wheatley and his wife Amy Jump really make an amazing team...It'll be interesting to see what Wheatley manages to do with his remake of Rebecca...That's a move I never thought he'd make (remaking a Hitchcock classic, that is)...

Goonies85

To the Wonder - It took a few viewings, but this one actually grew on me. My first viewing? I didn't even finish it. I made it like halfway and then just said screw this. Second time I watched it, I remained impressed with the cinematography and whatnot, but part of me still couldn't help but find the dialogue somewhat pretentious. Maybe I was just in a different mindset those two times I watched it, because this time I actually really enjoyed it and have grown to appreciate it. I think the direction coupled with the music is fantastic, and the dialogue actually complements the images nicely. I should also say, Affleck's performance was actually really good. Not a super emotional role (and I know some would say that suits him just fine), but I thought he did a great job acting opposite Kurylenko and McAdams. Kurylenko may have had the more showy role (obviously), but I thought it was Affleck that actually carried the movie. Javier Bardem's role still leaves me a little confused, but I can't say he didn't do a good job as the priest. I'm just not quite sure how he fits in to the overall "narrative" (if you can even call it that) of the movie. Anyway, this makes me want to check out the movies he did after this, particularly that one filmed at SXSW...Song to Song or something like that...

Goonies85

Only God Forgives - A pretty perplexing film, yet I still love it. Refn's direction is just out of this world good, and the combination of cinematography and music and the very careful editing really creates something unique. And the script is just insane. Gosling acting stoic while Kirsten Scott Thomas says some of the filthiest things I've ever heard is a sight to behold. I was amazed she agreed to the role, but props to her for doing so. The violence is so extreme it really just numbs you at a certain point, and there are several times where you're like, "Well, this can't get any worse...right?", then BAM, he kicks the violence up another notch. A pretty fearless movie...Planning to watch this with the commentary in the next couple of days...

Goonies85

The Neon Demon - Another movie I watched for the second time. I remember feeling only so-so the first time I watched it, just given the absolute bizarreness of the whole thing. This time I really enjoyed it, especially the acting from Elle Fanning. I think a lot of actresses could've come across as annoying in that role, but she had a certain inherent innocence that really helped sell the role. Keanu was pretty funny as the sleazy and cruel hotel owner, and Alessandro Nivola was hilarious as a fashion designer (he clearly had fun with the role). Jena Malone can be hit or miss for me, but she was really solid in this one. The Cliff Martinez score isn't as prominent as the one he did for Only God Forgives, but nevertheless it was very good and effective. Upon my first viewing, the bizarre third act really threw me for a loop, but this time I enjoyed it more and it's just interesting trying to draw your own interpretation as to what everything means. The end credit sequence deserves a special shout out, as the images and the songs are perfect and kept me glued to the movie til the very end of the credits...In my mind, Refn has yet to make a bad movie...

Also, I did listen to the commentary for Only God Forgives and it was a great listen. The moderator asks a lot of good questions and Refn offers pretty interesting explanations for numerous scenes that created a lot of questions in the viewer's mind...A really solid track that I'd recommend if you have the time. Listening to the commentary for The Neon Demon now. Elle Fanning joins Refn on the track...

EDIT: Finished the commentary track on The Neon Demon. It was okay, but I kind of wish Elle Fanning wasn't on it. Don't get me wrong, she's adorable and seems very sweet but I really wish a critic had joined him, as was the case with Only God Forgives. In that track, he talked a lot more about themes and symbolism in the movie, and what he was influenced by. A lot of the track with Fanning can only be described as chit-chatting. There's definitely some tidbits that are picked up here or there, but I almost felt that Refn was restraining himself from completely opening up because some of what he had to say may have been a bit over Fanning's head. Like, they frequently discuss how old she was in real life at any given stage of the movie, and what night was her birthday, and what night her senior prom was. Like, I don't mind hearing that, but at least couple that with insights into the movie itself. That said, I finally realized that the photographer was a cop on Dexter. I knew I saw him someplace before but I couldn't place it because he is wayyyyy skinny in this movie compared to that TV show. Anyway, viewers can probably skip this commentary track...It's not really worth your time...

Barth

The Vast of Night - It’s on Prime Video. It was okay. Movie set in the 50s about strange sounds coming over the airwaves. It has a lot of build up with no real payoff. Supposedly shot on a very small budget.

JeffTheAlpaca

Surprised they got so many big names for this movie

It was only interesting during the Gael and Hudson scenes

Djaryia you might like this if you have not seen it before

Goonies85

You Were Never Really Here - Watched this again. Remains one of my favorite movies from 2018. In fact, my top five movies of 2018 are as follows:

1. Vox Lux
2. Hereditary
3. Mid90s
4. You Were Never Really Here
5. Climax

I thought Joaquin's performance in this movie was way better than his performance in Joker (which I feel is incredibly overrated). He was perfect in this. And Lynne Ramsay did an amazing job writing and directing. The score by Jonny Greenwood was sublime. I just love this movie. And as much as I liked We Need To Talk About Kevin (although I liked the book more), this is Ramsay's better movie. I was amazed, however, that Phoenix was able to go from this physique, to the gaunt physique he showed in Joker. That's like a De Niro or Christian Bale move. Very committed. But I love this movie. Phoenix has been on a tear in recent years, with this, Joker, and Inherent Vice, amongst others. Hope he continues the streak. And the dude's dating Rooney Mara, which is awesome...so prop's to him...He's proven himself to be one of the best actors of his generation...And props to Ramsay for keeping the movie to a lean hour and a half...I think a lot of other directors would've dragged this on and made it a two hour movie...

Goonies85

Just out of curiosity, if The Right Stuff is your favorite movie, what are your other top five movies?

Cellar Door

Hmmm... I don't really keep a ranked list (other than #1) but some of my other favorites are 12 Monkeys, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Jaws, Pulp Fiction, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Dances With Wolves, The Mosquito Coast, It's A Wonderful Life... sorry that's more than five.

JeffTheAlpaca

This is was boring though it had a great cast.